Refocusing on theLearningin “Integration of Faith and Learning"

Students' Perceptions of Integration of Faith and Learning and Intentional Teaching Strategies at a Christian University

“…Although the study is not interested in denominational-specific aspects o f theology, it is possible that some perceptions of the purpose of education, and therefore the procedures, m ay be related to a denominational perspective. Also, previous research suggested that education students may be more prone to defining integration o f faith and learning in terms o f the teaching processes, since they are studying teaching methods (Burton & Nwosu, 2003;Lawrence et al, 2005). This may affect perceptions o f students in this study as well, although it can also be noted that as education students, they also should be able to m ore adequately express their perceptions in meaningful terms than other students who are not as familiar with educational or learning processes.…”

“…132-133). Although that particular direction (the same or similar research questions but with variations in population) has not yet been researched, a second study that preceded this current research by Lawrence, Burton, and Nwosu (2005) drew participants from that same population but expanded the inquiry to ask: "Is integration a teacher behavior or a student behavior?" (p. 41).…”

“…Although some research has been done in the area o f what teachers do to encourage faith-leaming integration and how students perceive and respond to those strategies (Burton & Nwosu, 2003;Lawrence et al, 2005), much more can be discovered. Therefore, in order to more fully understand students' perceptions o f integration o f faith and learning, it is necessary to examine in more detail than before the meanings they attach to the term integration o f faith and learning as well as other descriptions and expressions within the context of each individual's classroom experiences.…”

“…In a related study (Lawrence et al, 2005) on the perceptions o f students and where integration occurs, it was noted that education students viewed integration largely as a teacher behavior, regardless o f the setting, which could range from a Christian grade school to a graduate school at a Christian university (p. 42). One o f the conclusions o f the study is that although there is a great deal o f discussion about integration o f faith and learning, the focus o f perceptions appears to be the integration o f faith and teaching (p.…”

“…Two additional studies have addressed students' perceptions o f IFL, with an interest in determining how the students understood the process and whether they could identify integrative strategies that were built into the teaching plan. First, Burton and Nwosu (2003) In a related study, Lawrence et al (2005) used the same survey instrument used by Burton and Nwosu (2003) and obtained definitions o f IFL and descriptions o f what IFL would look and sound like. The population was drawn from students in the educational methods course in the same university.…”